Dr. Yuanjun “Steve” Shen, PhD ’17, is a proud graduate of the University of Rhode Island College of Pharmacy’s Pharmaceutical Science program and now serves as an Assistant Professor of Pharmaceutical Sciences at Binghamton University. While at URI, Dr. Shen trained under world-class faculty, gained hands-on research experience, and built the foundation for a career dedicated to advancing biomedical science. Today, his research focuses on uncovering the mechanisms behind pulmonary hypertension, a rare but serious lung disease, to improve diagnostics and treatment. In this alumni spotlight, Dr. Shen reflects on how URI prepared him for success, shares advice for current students, and offers an inside look at his inspiring journey from PhD student to faculty researcher.
During my postdoctoral training, my mentors and colleagues particularly recognized my strengths in animal research, as well as my presentation and writing skills. I attribute much of this foundation to the rigorous training and mentorship I received at URI.
Q & A
1. How do you stay inspired or motivated in your career?
I have always been fascinated by science. As a child, I imagined myself in many fields—archaeology, biology, medicine, and physics—but over time I realized that what truly inspired me was the basic science underlying human health.
I’ve been fortunate to have supportive mentors throughout my journey. For example, at the University of Rhode Island, I worked with Dr. Bingfang Yan. When I first joined his lab, our initial project faced major challenges. While we were troubleshooting, I was asked to lead a summer collaboration, where I made an unexpected discovery. Dr. Yan encouraged me to pursue it further, and with persistence, we uncovered something significant that was later published in the Journal of Hepatology—a high-impact journal in the field (Shen Y, Yan B. Journal of hepatology. 2017 Mar 1;66(3):660-1). That experience showed me how curiosity, opportunity, and mentorship can come together to drive meaningful science.
2. Can you tell us about the work you are currently doing and what you enjoy most about it?
My current research focuses on understanding the mechanisms of pulmonary hypertension, a serious but relatively uncommon lung disease. Pulmonary hypertension can develop as a result of various lung, heart, and vascular conditions. Unfortunately, we still have very limited diagnostic and therapeutic options, and many patients die within 5–10 years after diagnosis.
My main goal is to uncover the cellular signaling pathways that drive the development of this disease. By identifying these mechanisms, we hope to open new avenues for diagnosis and treatment. Because pulmonary hypertension is still understudied, my team and I often make novel and unexpected findings. We hope that our research not only advances scientific knowledge but also inspires the development of better diagnostic tools and therapies for patients.
3. How did your time at URI help prepare you for your career?
I received strong training in experimental design, data interpretation, scientific communication, and the fundamentals of biomedical research. I also gained valuable experience in manuscript and grant writing.
During my postdoctoral training, my mentors and colleagues particularly recognized my strengths in animal research, as well as my presentation and writing skills. I attribute much of this foundation to the rigorous training and mentorship I received at URI.
4. What is one piece of advice you would give to current students?
Don’t be afraid to push yourself out of your comfort zone.
As I mentioned earlier, I could have stayed with my initial project and still graduated, but Dr. Yan encouraged me to take on the challenge of starting a brand-new project from scratch. It was difficult, and at times I felt behind compared to my peers. However, the experience pushed me to grow tremendously, and ultimately, I was able to graduate with my PhD in just 4.5 years. The benefits of stepping out of my comfort zone were invaluable.
5. Do you have a favorite memory or defining moment from your time at URI?
One of my favorite moments was when I convinced Dr. Yan to invest time in a new project. Initially, when I first reported the surprising result, he wasn’t very interested. To build confidence in my findings, I repeated the experiments multiple times and designed additional studies to confirm the observation. After many back-and-forth discussions, I was able to demonstrate that this unexpected result could lead to something meaningful. Once convinced, Dr. Yan provided full support for the project. I was very proud—we often referred to it as our own “Fleming Moment” in the lab.